Guide-Line

Telephone

What is Guide-Line?

Guide-Line is a helpline offering information and support to those in mental and emotional distress, family members, carers and professionals. We support people on an on-going basis as well as those in crisis. We operate a telephone helpline and an email service.

What do we offer our callers?

We are open from 12 noon to 9 pm every day, including Christmas and Bank holidays. Some callers want information; others are seeking support for themselves or relatives with issues around emotional or mental distress, sometimes on an on-going basis. Other callers might ring us at times of crisis.

Giving support to callers – Our dos and don’ts

  • We don’t give advice or tell people what to do. We don’t give our own opinions about things or talk about ourselves. We don’t judge, diagnose or label people.
  • We do help callers look at different options they may have and explore them. We value and care about individuals and show a non judgemental accepting attitude towards them.
  • We believe in self autonomy and encourage people in their own choices and in being responsible for themselves.
  • We work within the BACP ethical framework, keeping to their code of ethics.

Information

We give information over the phone and send out leaflets to individuals. We have detailed information about self help groups, statutory and voluntary services in the Bradford and Keighley area. We frequently signpost callers to services relevant to their situations.

We also have information about national helplines and web sites in the area of mental health.

Staff

We have a full time service co-ordinator who manages the Guide-Line project and trains the volunteers. Also, we have six part time helpline and support workers who answer the phones. Two of these, one male and one female are Asian and speak fluent Urdu.

All our staff have qualifications to differing degrees in counselling. Most have also done our volunteer training course. We continue with on-going training for both staff and volunteers.

Volunteers

We greatly value our volunteers. At present we have 14 volunteers who usually each work one 3 hr shift a week on the phone lines.

The recruitment process includes contacting referees, an informal interview and Criminal Record Bureau checks.

We train a group of volunteers once a year, end of September usually. The training includes mental health knowledge and information, counselling skills, call handling skills and some self awareness work. We would like some volunteers in the next intake who can do afternoon shifts.

Our service is confidential apart from certain named exceptions in our confidentiality policy. If you would like a copy of this please contact us.

Quality Standards

We believe in providing the best possible service for our callers so, to help us do this we have worked for and attained several Quality standards.

We have the National Mind Quality Standard. Since 2002 we have been recognised as an Investor in People. We gained their revised Quality Standard in March 2007.

Also in March 2007, we achieved the Mental Health Helplines Partnership Quality Standard which was accredited by the Telephone Helplines Association of which we are also a member.

Funding

Guide-Line receives its funding from Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT separately from funding received by other Mind in Bradford services.

Donations are always very welcome.